SALT LAKE CITY— Holly Brittsan, 24, died when her parachute failed to open during a BASE jump in Rock Canyon. Another BASE jumper, also 24, knew quickly about Brittsan's death when her friends started calling her that fateful Tuesday afternoon.
Ellen Brennan's friends wanted to only hear a voice, a voice confirming it was not her. She is the only other 24-year-old woman BASE jumper in the Salt Lake City area. Brennan said she knew of Brittsan before the accident as the BASE jumping community is a tight-knit group.
"She's always out at the bridge at Twin Falls practicing and she just came down to Salt Lake. And everything I've heard about her is that she's really dialed in and she wasn't a sketchy jumper. She always knew what she was doing," said Brennan.
Brennan says the thrill of BASE jumping brings her to the precipice edge often. She jumped the day she spoke with FOX 13.
"You know, you jump off this cliff and it's just like this moment of pure bliss, like where nothing else in the world matters and your canopy opens and you got this rush of energy going through you," Brennan explains.
Brennan says she visits Rock Canyon often because it is an easliy accessible BASE jumping location. However, it has its challenges.
"Rock canyon is a beautiful jump, it's super accessible. You park your car at the base of the cliff. It's like a 20 minute hike up, which is nice because you're not too tired. It's technical because it's in the canyon and the canyon tends to get windy. And because the canyon's got a lot of aspects to it, it can make some funny winds, especially in the afternoons," she said.
Brennan says she jumped the same day of Brittsan's fatal fall. She says she simply did not feel good about it when she was on top of the cliff and hiked back down.
No comments:
Post a Comment